Which sentence do you like better? #2 may be grammatically correct, but #1 seems to flow better for me. 1. Malawa the widow said yes, and the trio embarked upon their search before the sun was directly overhead. 2. Malawa, the widow, said yes, and the trio embarked upon their search before the sun was directly overhead.
I decided to reveal the fact that Malawa was a widow in an earlier sentence, and just go with this: Malawa said yes, and the trio embarked upon their search before the sun was directly overhead.
I say yes to this, too. But in a 'folksy' kind of old style, women were often called something like 'Malawa the widow', just as in Wales you have, e.g. 'Jones the milk' (i.e. milkman for people in the US) or 'Jenkins the post'. So you can have: Malawa the widow said yes, and the trio embarked upon their search before the sun was directly overhead. I prefer it to version two on the 1st post, whatever grammar and punctuation rules dictate, although I still agree most with your second decision.
Right, good point. I prefer it in this instance, as it reflects the pause as the sentence is conveyed in my own head.
I also think it helps to mark the end of what Malawa said. The grammar doesn't technically do that for you, but I think the mental pause it gives you does help.
I would then treat it as part of the proper noun and make her Malawa the Widow ("Widow" capitalised).
